Longwood Gardens

It has taken us a bit longer to get out and explore the area where we moved to, but one place that I had been eagerly looking forward to has been Longwood Gardens, one of America's largest and oldest botanical gardens. Longwood Gardens started as a working farm at the turn of the 19th century. Later it would change ownership to the Du Pont family who developed a massive and stunning conservatory on the estate.

On our recent visit a breathtaking exhibit of orchids were on display, one so extravagant that it was obvious that no expense or orchid was spared in the making. A splendor of topiaries, ceiling tall arches, and walls composed of hundreds, if not thousands, of orchids were presented. For those of you who know how hard it is to get an orchid to rebloom (I nearly cried when one of mine rebloomed last year), you can appreciate the work it took to construct these orchid monuments and the special rarity of each one of these flowers.

Longwood Gardens has something for every season. Right now fields of seemingly everything are in bloom from tulips to hyacinths, azaleas and cherry trees. The biggest show is reserved for the end of the year during the dead of winter when bright lights are strung up and garlands deck the halls for the Christmas season. However each month offers an opportunity to see unique flowers at their peak so it won't be long before we return to this magnificent horticultural destination.